Screwdriver attachment



P. REINHALTER.

SCRIEWDRIVER ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. I4. 1919- l$2 796 IPAIGHIAII {Tat A, 1921Inventor Attorneys STATES earner castes.

SCREWDRIVER ATTACHMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 4, 19211.

Application filed January 14, 1919. Serial No. 271,107.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER REINHALTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Wilkes-Barre, in the county of Luzerne and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful. Screwdriver Attachment, ofwhich the following is a specification.

The present invention appertains to a screw holding attachment for screwdrlvers, and aims to provide a novel and improved appliance of thatnature.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a simple andinexpensive attachment of unique construction, which will be applicableto the shanks of various screw drivers, within practical limits, andwhich may be slid to and from the bit or blade of the screw driver tobring the attachment into and out of operative position, the attachmenthaving means cooperable with the bit or blade of the screw driver forholding the head of a screw.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an attachment ofthe nature indicated, which will be of such construction as to grip theshank of the screw driver in an effective manner, to hold the attachmentagainst sliding accidentally, although the attachment may be readilyslid by the hand to and from the bit, and will hold itself in positionto cooperate with the bit for bold in a screw upon the tip of the bit.

ith the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be apparent asthe nature of the invcrfrion is better understood, the present inventionresides in the peculiarly constructed attachment hereinafter describedin detail, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment ofthe invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what isclaimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention has. been illustrated in its preferred embodiment in theaccompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a side elevation of a screwdriver, illustrating the improved attachment applied thereto and ininoperative position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental side elevation of the free portion ofthe screw driver shank, illustrating the attachment slid to cooperativeposition with the bit.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional detail taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The present attachment embodies a cliplike member including an elongiedbody 1,

which is curved transversely, and which is bowed or curvedlongitudinally. The body 1 is provided intermediate its ends, with sideor lateral curved fingers 2, which are adapted to snap over andyieldably engage the shank or stem 3 of a screw driver, it beingunderstood, at the outset, that the present attachment may beconstructed in various sizes so as to be applicable to various screwdrivers within the intended ranges.

The end portions 4 and 5 of the body 1 are arranged to frictionallyengage the shank 3 of the screw driver, whereby when the free ends ofthe spring retaining fingers 2 are engaged astride the shank 3, theintermediate portion of the body will be spaced fromthe shank, and thefingers 2 will tend to draw the intermediate portion of the body 1toward the shank, to thus cause the end portions 4 and 5 of the body totightly grip the shank, to hold the attachment at any position to whichit is slid.

The end portion 5 of the body 1, which is adapted to be disposed nearestthe free end of the screw driver shank 3, is provided with an angularfiat tongue 6. The tongue 6 is arranged at an obtuse angle relative tothe end portion 5 of the clip body 1, and is flexible or resilient so asto be coiiperable with one flat side of the wedge-like bit or blade? ofthe screw driver shank 3.

In use, the present attachment may be readily applied to and removedfrom the shank 3 of a screw driver, by snapping the complementing oropposed retaining fingers 2 over or out of engagement with the shank 3.When the clip attachment is applied to the screw driver shank, theretaining fingers 2 engaging the shank, will hold the end portions 4 and5 of the body 1 frictionally against the shank 3, to ordinarily reventthe longitudinal sliding movement 0 the attachment unless forcibly slidby hand. As seen in Fig. 1, the attachment may ordinarily be slidupwardly on the shank 3 to any point desired, to render the attachmentinoperative, and at the same time, the attachment will not appreciablyencumber the shank of the screw driver. The tongue 6 normally divergesaway from the shank 3, but may flex to and from the axis of the shank.

To bring the attachment into use, forcooperation with the bit 7 of thescrew driver shank, the body 1 is slid over the butt or basal end of thebit or blade 7, as seen in Fig. 2, whereby the end portion Set the body1' will slide over one side or face of the bit 7 to bring thescrew-retaining tongue 6 into cooperation with the free end of the bit7. The attachment will be held at this position in the same manner asabove described, with the free ends of the tongue 6 and bit 7 flush.Then, by flexing or bending the tongue 6 toward or against thecorresponding side or face of the bit 7, the free end of the tongue 6may be engaged within the slot or kerf of a screw, which will cause thehead of the screw to be effectively held upon the tip of the bit 7. Inthis manner, the tongue 6 en gaging within the slot or nick of the screwhead, the tongue 6 having a tendency to swin away from the bit 7, tothereby cause the Free ends of the bit 7 and tongue 6 to grip theopposite sides of the nick of the screw head, will enable the screw tobe readily started into the object, without difiiculty.

After the screw has been started into the object, the screw-holdingattachment may be slid upwardly upon the shank 3 to an inop erative oridle position, to thus enable the bit or blade 7 to be employed in theusual manner without interference. Due to the peculiar construction ofthe clip attachment, the same will firmly grip the shank 3 in anyposition to which the attachment is slid, and furthermore, theattachment may be readily applied to and removed from the shanks ofvarious screw drivers within the intended limits of the particularattachment. The present attachment embodies no rivets or other attachingmeans and requires no changes'in the screw driver construction.

The clip attachment may be readily stamped from a sheet metal blank, andwill be very inexpensive to produce. The other advantages of the presentdevice will be obvious from the foregoing, taken in connection with thedrawing, without further comment being necessary.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is A screwdriver attachment including an elongated body having side spring fingersspaced apart at their free ends to snap over the shank of a screw driverand frictionally hold the body in any position to which it is slid, thebody having a resilient angular tongue at one end of the sameconformation as the bit of the screw driver and said body being bowed inopposite directions from the fingers to engage the tapered shank of ascrew driver at spaced points and the tongue extending outwardly fromthe lower point of engagement of the body with the shank of the screwdriver and adapted to cooperate with the bit of the screw driver toengage within the slot or niche of a screw.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixedmy signature.

PETER REINHALTER.

